In a department as diverse as NRES, and with a strong emphasis on the management of landscapes, working partnerships with key organizations and individuals keep us connected to the audiences we serve. Because we share the challenges of managing today's complex landscape systems and the communities and individuals that interact with them, we work in conjunction with our partners to discover and apply the best research to reach effective solutions to biological and social problems.
Our partners in the world of commercial enterprises, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations are instrumental in offering internships and research experiences for our students, hiring our graduates, identifying trends that suggest curricular changes to keep our academic programs current, and providing financial support for student scholarships. We also have an external advisory committee whose members share their time and expertise to provide valuable input to the department on a wide variety of issues.
Human Dimensions of Environmental Systems
Human Dimensions of Environmental Systems is an interdisciplinary research and education effort at the University of Illinois that explores the connections between humans and the environment. Participants include faculty from six colleges at Illinois and graduate students from every college on campus.
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program
The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program provides funding for faculty research projects, partners with NRES to provide an environmental education field course, and supports one professional staff member who is located in Chicago with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency working on water quality issues.
The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program addresses the critical concerns of resource sustainability, water quality, ecosystems and human health of the area of Lake Michigan bordered by the two states.
The program serves:
Prairie Research Institute
Many of NRES adjunct faculty are part of the Prairie Research Institute (formerly the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability). Created in 2008, the Institute is the
University home of the Illinois State Scientific Surveys. Many of the scientists working in
the Surveys have an adjunct faculty appointment in NRES and collaborate with NRES faculty on research. Each year, several NRES undergraduates and graduate students work as research assistants with Prairie Research Institute scientists, particularly those in the Illinois Natural History Survey.
National Great Rivers Research and Education Center
The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) is an innovative research and teaching center located at the confluence of the Mississippi, the Missouri, and the Illinois rivers. NGRREC was formed by researchers and administrators at the University of Illinois and Lewis and Clark Community College. Several NRES faculty members contribute to research through NGRREC, and several NRES students participate in NGRREC's outstanding internship program each summer.
Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology
The Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology (PEEC) is an interdisciplinary graduate program at the University of Illinois. Many NRES faculty and graduate students are active partners in PEEC.
Program in Environmental and Resource Economics
The Program in Environmental and Resource Economics (pERE) is a graduate program emphasizing the exploration of the complex relationships between environmental quality, economic prosperity, and human behavior. The program, which is a partnership between faculty in six departments at the University of Illinois, offers courses, seminars, and the weekly pERE workshop for graduate students and faculty.
